While the Nexus line has always been the defacto “go to” choice for OS enthusiasts, purists, and developers alike — much like Apple’s iPhone — it’s a very one-size fits all affair. In the case of the Nexus 6, ironically, that size might actually be a bit too large for some, but that’s another story. For those who lusted after the top-tier flagships by Samsung, HTC, Sony, or even LG but wanted a pure Google software experience, Google Play Edition devices provided users another route for pure stock goodness.

At its height, the GPe line-up included a number of different products: the HTC M7 and Galaxy S4 (the first two to be released), the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, the LG G Pad 8.2 tablet, and the HTC M8. Motorola also release the Moto G as a GPe option, though it didn’t differ much from the already lightly skinned Moto G. These products all ran the same exact software that was present on the Nexus devices, however with the duo camera present on the M8 there was a slight software modification. There’s also one other important difference: all of these devices were updated to Android Lollipop weeks ago, whereas the non-GPe versions of these devices are still all running Kitkat (with the exception of the Moto G).

2014 proved to be a disappointing year for those who wanted more GPe hardware

Unfortunately, 2014 proved to be a disappointing year for those who wanted more GPe hardware, for the M8 was the last device offered and since then we’ve seen a number of Google Play Edition devices leave the Google Play store. Now with today’s disappearance of the Google Play Edition One M8, it seems that the GPe program has finally ended. So what gives here, is the GPe program done for good? If it is gone, what exactly happened?

Some 8 months ago, we covered a report that Google was going to introduce Android Silver, effectively spelling the end of the Nexus program (a rumor that, itself, is now an entire year old). The basic idea was that the Google Play Experience and Nexus line would essentially merge into a more comprehensive, marketing-heavy approach to sales. This would allow for more than one device running the stock Android experience, in short giving us a number of Nexus-like offerings in a way that expanded upon the GPe program. Carriers would sell the devices directly, there would be money spent on advertising, and despite the near-stock software approach, anything OEMs installed via bloat would be removable without root access. Of course Google itself never confirmed any of this, much less officially acknowledged the existence of Silver. After the departure of a key staff member allegedly involved with the program, things more-or-less cooled off.

The Nexus many thought we’d never see.

As we all know, this vision of the future never came to pass. Some say it was never going to happen, others say that all the negative talk about the rumored program caused Google to shift course. Regardless, the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 are now the future of the Nexus lineup. As for Android Silver and GPe programs? In many ways, the Nexus 6’s sale philosophy is a bit like the vision behind Android Silver, in that Google is focusing harder on marketing and carrier support. Still, it’s a limited approach since there’s only one Nexus phone.

As far as 'pure' Android hardware goes, especially that sold directly from Google, the future is more-or-less up in the air.

We can’t say why, but it seems Google is content to push the Nexus 6 as the only “Google-backed pure Android experience”, at least for the time being. Instead, Google has expressed a major interest in expanding Android to cars and televisions (the latter more of a re-start) and Android Wear is slowly but surely gaining more support. At the same time, Google Glass is seemingly on a temporary hiatus, and the modular Project Ara isn’t set to launch in a major market for the time being.

As far as “pure” hardware goes, especially that sold directly from Google, the future is more-or-less up in the air. While it’s probable that Mountain View will unleash a pair of new Nexus devices this year (a phone and tablet), it’s difficult to say what will become of the GPe program, or why there was no Galaxy S5 GPe or similar tablet last year. Given that even the Nexus smartphones can’t earn mainstream success – at least based on one report- it is highly likely the GPe products were simply deemed too expensive for the masses, or just flew off the radar entirely.

This is, of course, exactly where Android Silver was supposed to come in play, with its in-store presence. Google’s one-size-fits-all approach to the Nexus hardware can be a major detractor for those who are looking for a product in anything but the available size, and Silver would have given such options.

For owners of GPe devices, a pure Nexus-like experience is the name of the game. While some GPe devices have already seen their update to Lollipop (namely those manufactured by HTC), owners of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition (GPe) have been left in limbo for the past few weeks salivating over some hard candy.

The wait is over, as the GPe S4 is now receiving Android. 5.0.0 to be exact, thus unfortunately there is still going to be some delay if/when the 5.0.1 bug fix update trickles down. Samsung owners should make sure to check their phones over the next couple of days/weeks and prepare to bask in the material world that we are now living in.

For those that have already received Lollipop on the GS4 GPe, what do you think so far?

In late Google+ post on Monday, Google confirmed that in addition to the HTC One Google Play edition, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play edition will get its own Android 4.4 KitKat update.

The short post says that the update will be rolling out starting with “today,” or November 25, so in case you happen to own a Galaxy S4 Google Play edition, you should check your phone for updates, if you haven’t been prompted to install KitKat yet:

Interestingly, the Google Play editions of the HTC One and Galaxy S4 have not been the first non-Nexus devices to be updated to KitKat, as Motorola’s Moto X was the first such device to receive the Android 4.4 update a few days ago.

That said, let’s hear it from Galaxy S4 Google Play edition owners out there, have you received Android 4.4 KitKat yet?

Ten days ago, HTC announced it delivered the KitKat code for the HTC One Google Play edition, and that it was up to Google to push out the OTA release to users.

Now it appears that the OTA is on its way, as both HTC and Samsung have published the kernel source code and framework support files for the HTC One GPe and Galaxy S4 GPe, respectively. The files contain the open source component of the ROMs for the two devices, that HTC and Samsung have to release to the public, as per their GPL licensing.

HTC’s files weigh in about 370MB and can be found here, while Samsung released the 399MB ZIP file on its open source site. These files are primarily of interest to developers and tinkerers.

The good news for users of the two Google Play edition devices is that the OTA should be imminent. The last time Samsung and HTC published the open source components of their device firmware, the over the air update began trickling out to users within 24 hours.

Besides a preference for stock Android over manufacturer overlays, the biggest reason to get a vanilla Android device and specifically a Nexus device is the prompt availability of updates.

Having fast, guaranteed updates rolling out to your phone or tablet is especially important when it comes to security. A great example is the so called master key vulnerability that researchers discovered this summer, which Google (and CyanogenMod) patched promptly. But we still don’t know if manufacturers like HTC or Samsung have solved the issue on their devices.

This week, the Google Play Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One have received a security fix for Android 4.3, which experts think fixes a cryptographic vulnerability that hackers allegedly exploited in a Bitcoin heist last month. Google didn’t comment on its purpose.

The update, codenamed JWR66Y, should hit your HTC One or Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition over the air at any moment. It’s not clear if the update brought any other change besides the cryptographic hardening, but it’s highly recommended to apply it as soon as possible.

The same update rolled out to Nexus devices starting with August 21. While three weeks may seem a lot of time for a security patch, it’s still far better than the amount of time owners of non-stock Android devices have to wait to get their updates.

Google Play Edition Galaxy S4 owners should all be enjoying the latest version of Android by now. If there’s one little niggle with the GPE handsets, it’s that updates aren’t provided directly from Google, and that may be one reason to blame for the SD Card bug which has appeared after the latest Android 4.3 update.

Users have been reporting that apps are failing to write data to the handsets external storage card. The reason for this is that most apps haven’t been updated to work with a change in app group permissions related to writing to external storage. As this is a problem which really only affects this particular handset, I wouldn’t count on app developers fixing the issue themselves any time soon, and it could be a while before Samsung released a fix as well.

Fortunately, there is a temporary work around, but it involves messing around with a system file and you’ll have to have your handset rooted before you begin. If you’re in need of the fix, then follow the steps below.

Firstly, grab a file explorer app from the Play Store, like Root Explorer or ES File Explorer, so that you can access your system files. You’ll then need to locate the platform.xml file in the system/etc/permissions folder. Create a backup of the original file before you go any further, then either open this file up on your phone or copy it to your PC for editing.

Next up, scroll down until you find a row beginning name=”android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE” >, I believe this is the 71st line in the file. Once there, on a new line under ”<group gid=”sdcard_rw” />“, add <group gid=”media_rw” />, then save the file. Here’s a screenshot to show how the file should look after editing.

All done, now simply save the changes, or copy the file back to from your PC, and overwrite the original version. Reboot your phone and the fix will be applied.

It’s likely that this line was simply missed while Samsung was rushing to push Android 4.3 out the door. Hopefully, an official update to address this problem will arrive quickly, especially for those who don’t want to mess around with these sort of fixes.

When the Google Play Edition phones were launched, some feared that the fact that manufacturers and not Google will control software updates would mean that there will be long delays between the release of a new Android version and the OTA rollouts.

Those fears seem to be unfounded, as the Android 4.3 update for the HTC One and Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition has begun to roll out, a little over a week after the launch of the new version.

The update, which weighs in at about 150MB on the S4 and 180MB on the One, brings all the new features and improvements of Android 4.3, which we detailed here. Highlights include the TRIM command, Bluetooth Smart support, a smarter dial pad, Open GL ES 3.0, restricted user profiles, and virtual surround sound.

In addition to these expected changes, the Android 4.3 brought a few subtle design changes to the Galaxy S4 and HTC One GPe, such as slightly larger homescreen icons and the dock icons being now uniformly distributed.

One other welcome change is the enabling of the IR blaster on the HTC One, which will allow users to use the device as a remote.

As always with OTAs, have a little patience, because rollouts are usually distributed to users gradually to spot any potential problems with the update.

Q:

Colin says:I just got a Galaxy S4 Active, and I know that Samsung makes a wireless charging kit for the regular S4. Do you think we’ll see one for the Active any time soon?

A:

I think that whether we see a wireless charging kit for the Galaxy S4 Active at all depends on how well it sells. If it sells really well, I’d say there’s a possibility that one could come out, probably a in few months.

Q:

Will615 asks:What do you think the price of the LG G2 will be?

A:

It’s fairly likely that since the LG G2 is going to be the company’s new flagship, it will sell for a flagship price. I’d say around $699 off contract or $199 with a contract.

Q:

A:

If you’re talking the Galaxy S4 Google Play Editon, Google has said it will be coming “soon” but didn’t mention a specific date. A version of Android 4.3 leaked last month, and if you’re feeling adventurous, you can try it right now. Supposedly, it even works on the vanilla S4.

Q:

Kishor says:Hey Kris, I am looking forward to a purchase of unlocked mobile phone within $380 – $450. Do you have any suggestions?

A:

There are a ton of good options at that price range. First, I’ve got to mention the Nexus 4, which is actually cheaper at only $299. If you don’t want that, your main options are either a midrange phone, and there are a lot of good ones (see our reviews for more info) or last-gen flagships like the Galaxy S3.

Q:

Vikramjit asks:Will the Samsung Galaxy Note3 have features like Air View and Air Gesture like the Galaxy S4?

A:

I’m sure that it will, especially since plenty of people never even pull the S Pen out of its holster, but it will be interesting to see how it works with the S Pen.

Q:

Peter says:I’m in Bulgaria and I have a Nexus 4. When am I going to get the Android 4.3 update?

A:

It should be coming very soon. For all I know, you might already have it by the time I’m answering this question. That said, Google is rolling out the update gradually, so if you’re not seeing it yet, it’s just a matter of time.

A newer Android 4.3 build version has been found for the Galaxy S4 Google Play edition, even though Google is yet to make the new Android update version official.

Apparently built on July 11 and leaked a week later, Android 4.3 version JWR66V is available for Galaxy S4 Google Play edition users to install on their devices. The existing leaked Galaxy S4 Google Play edition Android 4.3 version has build number JWR66N.

Xda-developer member Jah0n posted installation instructions on the forum, and listed improvements, bugs and app performance for the new Android 4.3 version, as discovered during testing. Should you choose to install version JWR66V on your device, we’ll remind you that you’re the only person responsible for whatever happens during the process.

The new JWR66V brings battery improvements and lets the handset wirelessly charge even when powered off. Furthermore, Google Wallet now apparently works for non-rooted devices. The same goes for Dash Clock widget and the IMDb app.

However, there are also bugs with this unofficial Android 4.3 version, affecting SIM unlock but also issues with various apps including GTA Vice City, CNN, Apex launcher, HBO Go, Titanium Backup, and others.

We just recently took a look at the Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition, and now we’re going to get a more in-depth view between it and the original Galaxy S4. Generally, the two devices are very similar, however, a lot has changed when it comes to software.

We’re going to coast through many of the different aspects of this review, as the GPE is quite literally the same phone from top to bottom, from design to battery, as the original Galaxy S4. If somehow you still don’t know much about the S4 after all of the coverage we have on Android Authority, feel free to check out my full review.

In a rush? Jump straight to the video, otherwise, stick with us as we take a closer look at these two devices.

When it comes to design, you have the very same device that makes handling a 5-inch screen about as easy as it gets. It has Samsung’s usual button layout, and that same plastic body that everyone either loves or hates. I will admit that for the Galaxy S4 in general, I personally like it in white.

Both phones bring Samsung’s signature Super AMOLED display capable of 1080p resolution, rated at 441ppi. As you might know by now, the panel is highly saturated, and on the original Galaxy S4 you can customize the general motif. Love it or hate it, the high saturation makes Android 4.2 look gorgeous on this screen.

As for performance, it is handled in both phones by the Snapdragon 600 clocked at 1.9GHz, backed by an Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. However, the Google Play Edition should yield smoother and faster speeds simply because it isn’t jam-packed with all of the features and bloatware in TouchWiz.

On the other hand, whichever device you choose to run with, the experience with be fluid and easy either way.

You still get the same removable battery and microSD card slot between the two phones, allowing for the expansion of power or the built-in 16 or 32GB of storage. Unfortunately, only 16GB models are available when it comes to the Google Play Edition.

All of the sensors and the IR blasters make a return in the Google-ified rendition, but as you’ll see in the software section, they aren’t all put to use.

Battery life is pretty much the same, as the 2,600 mAh unit found in either device allows for a full, busy day of work. Keep in mind that you lose all of the power saving features from the original Galaxy S4’s TouchWiz settings, as you’re getting pure, vanilla Android here, and not an OEM skin.

In other words, you won’t be able to rely on theme to eke out that list bit of power anymore.

And now, we get to the big changes — starting with the camera. The 13-megapixel rear shooter in the original S4 was very well received — it provides great detail in pictures, and it brought a level of vibrancy to every photo. Much like everything else, the camera optics remain the same, but the camera app is where things have changed the most.

TouchWiz has been replaced with vanilla Android, so you won’t get all of the modes and settings that makes the Galaxy S4’s camera app stand out from the rest. As you might expect, it was replaced with the stock Android camera, which loses everything from Eraser mode and the Drama mode to the dual recording. However, that might not be a bad thing.

Instead, you get a different interface that uses touch and swipe arch menus that do make sense for touchscreens. It’s an unobtrusive interface that also brings HDR, some scene modes, and of course, the Photo Sphere.

It doesn’t look like the modes are all that you lose in the transition from the original S4, though. In taking some reference shots, it looks like the original Galaxy S4 software helped bring sharpness to pictures.

It was an uncharacteristically cloudy summer day in Southern California but you can still see the detail in either photo. Zoomed out, it doesn’t look so bad, but once you get closer, you see that level of sharpness that was lost.

Low light performance remains largely the same, but you can kind of see a little more saturation in the original S4. I took a flash shot for posterity, but it served as a final example of how the original S4’s software does help boost the sharpness, ultimately producing a better looking photo.

So, it looks like you lose a little more than just modes and features in this transition. That’s not to say that the picture don’t look good in the Google Play Edition. On the contrary, the pictures look great on either device. However, when you zoom in is when you get a better idea of what you’re getting.

All in all, it comes down to whether or not you want all of these extras and modes for a feature-filled camera experience. Don’t get us wrong, the stock Android camera is good looking, but it only gives you the bare essentials, and for people looking for an above average camera experience, that just may not fly with them.

And finally, we arrive at the crux of this comparison — the software. I’m already seeing in the comments for the GPE full review that the software is a little polarizing. On the one hand, we love our stock Android because it doesn’t try too hard, and it manages to look great in the process. But when you put it against the full featured TouchWiz of the original Galaxy S4, some people think Jelly Bean is overly simplistic. Both are good points, depending on where you stand, when it comes down to it, it’s a matter of preference. There’s something for everybody here.

Samsung packed the S4 with a ton of extras, right down to the way you navigate. The sensors for air and hand gestures are just a couple examples and then you have S Health and WatchON apps. While you might not use everything all the time, there may be those few instances when they come in handy. Some people might get overwhelmed seeing all of the extras, but now that can be avoided with the Google Play Edition.

The latest version of vanilla Android, Jelly Bean, is very stripped down. It doesn’t take advantage of all the various sensors and hardware additions Samsung originally put in. You get your homescreens, original notification dropdown with the shade for settings, and one of the more coveted features of Jelly Bean, Google Now.

I understand those out there who think that it is a waste with all the potential the Galaxy S4 provides. On the app side, it’s possible to replicate what the original brought to the table. S Health can be replaced with other health apps, and possibly some that are even better, quality wise. I’m sure there are some WatchON equivalents out in the wild, too.

All those gestures and new ways of navigating are left by the wayside, unfortunately. Maybe in the future developers will make apps that do use those sensors, but right now that isn’t the case. In the end, Jelly Bean on the Galaxy S4 is given a boost by the hardware, just not all of it. It’s elegant, simple, and easy to use – but it might be too simple for some.

All that lost potential really does make the price hard to swallow for some. The Google Play Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is around the top price as the original was upon release — $649, which is about the top cap for the original Galaxy S4 nowadays.

And so, there you have it. The Samsung Galaxy S4 was given a refreshing new look and feel with the transition to vanilla Android 4.2. One thing that may make it easier to swallow the price is the faster updates for the Google Play Edition. However, they might not be as fast as Nexus devices, but they’ll still be faster than OEMs, hopefully. Still, you get some benefit from having a stock Android experience.

Maybe if you thought the S4 was too much, this will be just the right, simplistic fit. If you look at stock Android and wish for more, the original S4 is there for the taking. Or, if you feel stuck with the original Galaxy S4, this Google Play Edition gives you an example of what stock or even custom Android might be like on it. So, you got a few choices here.